Susan Page on Queen Elizabeth II’s Quiet Influence on 13 U.S. Presidents.
The Bill Press Pod
BP Pods
4.7 • 601 Ratings
🗓️ 19 May 2026
⏱️ 33 minutes
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Summary
Bill Press interviews USA Today Washington bureau chief Susan Page about her book, "The Queen and Her Presidents," exploring how Queen Elizabeth II helped sustain the U.S.-U.K. “special relationship” through soft power over her 70-year reign. Page recounts the Queen’s meetings with 13 sitting U.S. presidents (plus Herbert Hoover and pre-presidency LBJ), including Truman steadying a nervous young Princess Elizabeth; her reverence for Eisenhower; a complicated early dynamic with the Kennedys; LBJ’s refusal to visit amid Vietnam tensions; Nixon’s fascination with royal pageantry and his thwarted desire for a state dinner during Watergate; Reagan’s bond with her over horses and later knighthood; the “talking hat” mishap with George H.W. Bush; Clinton-era distrust over British file searches; George W. Bush’s teasing cowboy-boot moment; the Obama-Michelle protocol “touch” incident; and Trump pressing her about her favorite president. Page argues the Queen, highly briefed and shrewd, quietly smoothed crises (Suez, Ghana, Falklands) and preserved long-term ties.
Get "The Queen and Her Presidents" book here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-queen-and-her-presidents-the-hidden-hand-that-shaped-history-susan-page/065fc3604a68c142?ean=9780063397392&next=t
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, good friends. Good to see you again and welcome to another edition of the Bill Press Pod. |
| 0:13.0 | Once in a while, even a longtime political junkie like me gets tired of the day-to-day combat that characterizes American politics, whether it's in the White House, the Congress, or on the campaign trail. |
| 0:25.7 | So today, I invite you to join me in taking a break from the day-to-day political news to consider a more lasting and perhaps a more important political reality. |
| 0:36.7 | And that is the long and special relationship |
| 0:39.9 | between the United States and the United Kingdom, |
| 0:43.9 | which I've always found fascinating, |
| 0:46.6 | because, first of all, |
| 0:47.9 | given how we got here in the first place, |
| 0:50.0 | waging war against the UK |
| 0:52.1 | and overthrowing the tyranny of the English king, |
| 0:56.0 | it's amazing how quickly we came to be allies, |
| 0:59.8 | and despite occasional differences, |
| 1:01.9 | how long that special relationship between the USA and the UK has lasted. |
| 1:08.5 | In large part, of course, that relationship endured because of the silent but strong |
| 1:14.4 | leadership and 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II, who met and advised 13 sitting American presidents |
| 1:24.3 | and dazzled every one of them. Queen Elizabeth's interactions with so many |
| 1:29.7 | presidents are recounted. In a great new book I just finished, it's called The Queen and |
| 1:34.7 | Her Presidents by a longtime friend journalist Susan Page, frequent guests on the Bill Press |
| 1:41.9 | pod, and Washington Bureau Chief for USA Today. Susan Page, welcome back to the Bill Press Pod and Washington Bureau Chief for USA Today. |
| 1:46.2 | Susan Page, welcome back to the Bill Press Pod. It's so good to talk to you again. |
| 1:50.7 | Hey, Bill is great to be back with you. Thank you. So Barbara Bush, Barbara Walters, Nancy Pelosi. |
| 1:57.3 | Here you are with a new book about another very strong, powerful woman. Queen Elizabeth. Congratulations, |
... |
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